Discarded Brazilian baby boy will live to see Christmas

At first glance, Alexandre da Silva Dias de Freitas thought the abandoned and naked newborn baby lying in the grass of a poor Rio De Janeiro neighbourhood was dead.

Then he noticed the tiny infant, which still had its umbilical cord attached, was breathing.

"He was quiet, not crying. He seemed to be asleep. Actually, at first, I thought it was a doll. Then I got closer and saw that it was not," Alexandre said.

The traffic engineering worker became an instant hero in Brazil after finding the boy, who weighed just 2.4kgs, early on Monday morning.

Video of the remarkable discovery is equal parts moving and disturbing.

The newborn lies motionless in long, lush grass as Alexandre and other men film the child. Cars and other traffic can be heard driving close to the boy, who was discarded beside a busy road called Brazil Avenue.